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West Vancouver’s Harmony Arts Festival has just wrapped up another successful year of celebrating art in all its glorious guises. Three spectacular evenings headlined the culinary arts category: Indigenous Feast, Best of the West and Night on the Pier.

If you missed out, mark your calendars to jump on tickets for next August. All three events are in an unmatched venue, away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Vancouver. Here’s my highlights recap.

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Indigenous Feast: An Evening of Culture, Food and Music

There could be no better venue than Ambleside Landing to reflect and appreciate the bounty offered by the West Coast.

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This unique event opened with a ceremonial blessing and dance celebrating Indigenous culture. A traditional feast, incorporating local seafood such as smoked oolichans, poached halibut, barbecued salmon and steamed clams, was prepared by Mount Pleasant’s Salmon n’Bannock Restaurant.

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The Murray Porter Band doled out a light-hearted live blues performance while guests danced into the night. Amidst the spectacular backdrop of Burrard Inlet the evening seemed to delight all attendees.

For its inaugural year, there were a few kinks with timing to be ironed out for 2019. The event was billed for 6 pm sharp which could have posed a challenge for people rushing from work.

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In actuality, the ceremony did not begin until some 20 minutes later and many patrons were still not served an hour later.

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When plates finally did arrive, the food was dry and bland. However, the pleasant ambiance and awareness of well-being that pervaded the crowd compensated for the timing hiccups.

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Best of the West: Rapture for the Palate

Best of the West, a delightful evening of food and drink, again delivered with enticing flavours paired with luscious wines.

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[Mangia E Bevi mushroom ravioli paired with Summerhill wine]

Last year’s winner, Mangia E Bevi, seemed poised to win again with their preparation of truffled mushroom ravioli paired with Summerhill’s Spadefood Toad Sangiovese (this year’s winner TBA).

Other standouts included Feast’s fresh Dungeness crab salad and Parc Retirement Living’s braised pork cheeks.

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The octopus escabeche from Rive Gauche, freshly shucked oysters from Salt & Earth and ahi poke from Earl’s were pleasing to both the eyes and tastebuds.  

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[Temper Chocolate caramelized puff pastry]

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[Milestone’s Cracker Jack mousse]

Delicate caramelized puff pastry from Temper Chocolate and a whimsical Cracker Jack mousse from Milestone’s clinched the desserts.

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A lazy sunset sank into the water amidst the buzz, clatter and smack of satiated palates. What a wonderful way to unwind on a Wednesday night.

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Night on the Pier: Mixology Magic

Now in its third year, Night on the Pier keeps pushing the boundaries of cocktail creativity. Eight playful mixologists brought their A-game to this event with concoctions as unique as their personalities.

Levon Culbertson-Bottomley’s Sheringham Oolong Sour is a light, invigorated twist on the traditional whisky sour, substituting gin and an added oomph of oolong syrup.

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[Souhail Rostainajad’s Cocktails at Tiffany’s]

Souhail Rostainajad’s Cocktails at Tiffany’s reminds me of a very wicked Kool-aid and was almost too beautiful to drink…almost.

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[Robyn Gray’s Bahamian Swizzle]

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[Matthew Benevoli’s West Coast Windstorm]

Ditto for Robyn Gray’s beach-worthy Bahamian Swizzle and Matthew Benevoli’s foamy West Coast Windstorm – but I eagerly lapped up both.

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[Sabrine Dhaliwal’s Cherry Road]

Sabrine Dhaliwal (Cherry Road), Skye Hanuel Kim (atardecer en Ica) and Amber Bruce (From Sea to Sea) included luscious summer fruits (cherry, mango, pineapple respectively) in their refreshing, vibrant cocktails.

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[Amber Bruce’s From Sea to Sea]

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[Daniela Campos’ Hazy Prophet]

Daniela Campos’ Hazy Prophet featured layered smokey undertones laced with bright citrus.

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[Sebastian & Co.’s charcuterie cones]

Tantalizing morsels, catered by Mamie Taylor’s, Feast, Sebastian & Co., Las Margaritas and Two Rivers supplemented these liberal libations.

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[Two Rivers’ sausages]

I managed to snap a picture of the ceviche but it was rumoured to be so good that it was all gone by the time I returned with my first drink. My one request for 2019: more edible goodies!

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[The prized ceviche from Feast!]

Photos by Cora Li.

About Our Contributor Cora Li

Cora Li

Cora dabbles in arts, technology, food, and travel. She loves that Vancouver offers a vast playground for exploring all of her passions. Cora’s most memorable job to date was working with VANOC during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

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